U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum Calls for Removal or Impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04) announced her support for the removal or impeachment of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.

“Secretary Noem should be fired. If she is not, I support impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate for her obstruction of Congress and violation of the public trust,” said Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04), the Dean of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation.

“Renee Good is remembered by her family and her peers as a compassionate, giving person. I mourn her loss and hope her family, friends, and community may find comfort in her memory,” said Congresswoman McCollum. 

“This past year, Americans in cities across the United States have felt the chaos and terror of Secretary Noem’s Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Secretary Noem has demonstrated that she is unable to enforce immigration law in a peaceful and ethical manner,” said Congresswoman McCollum. “Her deployment of unprofessional, poorly trained, masked immigration agents has put our neighbors in danger of physical harm.” Congresswoman McCollum has repeatedly criticized federal immigration enforcement agents for racially targeting Minnesotans and demanding proof of citizenship based on a person’s race, ethnicity, and speech. 

“The officer who killed Renee Good used excessive force,” added Congresswoman McCollum. “Video evidence from multiple sources on the scene show that the officer and his ICE colleagues were not in immediate danger when he shot her as he stood by her car.

“The tragedy that occurred in Minneapolis was predictable and preventable. 

“Instead of accepting responsibility, Secretary Noem deliberately and immediately began seeding a false narrative, sharing inaccurate information, and blaming the victim for her own death at the hands of a federal agent. Before Renee Good was even identified as the victim of this shooting, Secretary Noem appeared before the media and falsely characterized Ms. Good as a ‘domestic terrorist.’ This highly inappropriate comment, along with offensive comments from the President and Vice President, demonstrate the Trump Administration's inability to oversee an independent investigation. Furthermore, the Trump administration's decision to block the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from conducting an independent investigation is completely unacceptable.

“Following the horrific shooting on Wednesday, Secretary Noem should have ended ICE’s operations in Minnesota to allow local law enforcement officials to restore order and a full investigation of the incident by the FBI and BCA. Instead, she further inflamed the volatile situation by allowing her unprofessional ICE agents to raid Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, during which students witnessed teachers being assaulted by ICE agents. The appalling conduct at ICE and DHS starts with its leadership. Kristi Noem needs to go.” 

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